Lucas County Board of Commissioners in partnership with The City of Toledo through the Toledo-Lucas County Sustainability Commission have produced an interactive GIS map showing sources of nutrients in the western Lake Erie watershed. The map will be an important tool in the initiative to reduce phosphorus amounts in Lake Erie by 40 percent. The inventory is currently being reviewed and will be available to the public soon.

The aim is to create a single source for information and to present the information in such a way that users can see relationships between nutrient sources and the state of the water quality.

The information on the map has been collected from public documents including TMACOG maps and data as well as reports from state and federal agencies, universities, and local governments. The nutrient sources that have been assessed are as follows:

The map and associated data can be a tool for governments applying for grants, or for planners designing strategies to reduce the amount of nutrients reaching Lake Erie and contributing to harmful algal blooms. It may also be valuable for educators planning classroom activities.

The map includes watershed areas that drain into western Lake Erie including parts of southern Michigan and eastern Indiana. As the inventory map goes online, there will be a method for users to recommend additional sources of data to be added to the map. Currently it does not extend as far as Sandusky Bay although there have been discussions of potentially adding that sub-watershed in the future.

Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. contributed to the design and implementation of the Nutrient Source Inventory.